About this Project

Cooking In Armenia is a blog written for Peace Corps Armenia Volunteers, by Peace Corps Armenia Volunteers. It was originally conceived of as a way to help PCVs in Armenia with limited cooking experience expand their culinary options in this country during their service. The more we investigated the need for this project, the more realized that many volunteers weren't just struggling with the lack of convenience foods ("կես եփած//kes yepats" or 'half-cooked' foods in Armenian) available to them here, but also with filling all their basic nutritional needs in a healthy and satisfying way.

As we learned this, we also found through our own exploration of food preparation in Armenia, that cooking with our Armenian friends was one of the more rewarding activities we did during our service. Coming together to cook and eat food is one of the most effective ways to bridge knowledge gaps, language barriers, and cultural differences. The discussions we've had over simmering sauce pans or while breaking bread have lead to some of the most profound moments of cultural exchange we've had in Armenia. 

Thus, the purpose of Cooking in Armenia has evolved from merely providing tasty recipes for PCVs who don't know how to cook (although, we still hope to achieve that goal). We now hope to provide PCVs- whether living with a host family or living independently- with the tools to provide themselves with adequate nutrition, emotionally satisfying meals, and with the know-how to cook together with their Armenian friends and family to continue the amazing cultural exchange that this can facilitate. 

We hope you enjoy this blog, and that the work we do here proves useful to your future cooking endeavors. Bon Appetit!